Halls Creek Sets Ambitious Indigenous Worker Targets

By Chris Campey (Cross Media Reporter)

Halls Creek Shire has commenced an ambitious strategy to increase its indigenous workforce to up to ninety percent. Incentive programs are anticipated in a bid to draw potential employees to available roles.

Halls Creek Shire has implemented a strategy to increase Aboriginal employment in East Kimberley Shire operations. Ambitiously, a target of filling up to ninety percent of positions with indigenous employees is now the focus. A figure aimed at reflecting the regions demographic.

Shire CEO Warren Olsen also indicating that incentives such as housing, annual air fares and electricity discounts are planned to be offered to prospective staff.

"What we've done is, the council formally adopted the policy last week, but the managers here have been already trying to implement large parts of the policy because we've been trying for the last four years to recruit more people into our organisation."

Sandra Mitchell, Manager of employment strategies at the Wunan Foundation has welcomed the concept, especially the incentives program.

"Housing especially, is a core barrier for not just indigenous but (non)indigenous people in the East Kimberley."

She says that the Shire and Wunan share common goals for Aboriginal employment such as a decreased indigenous dependence on welfare. Currently that figure sits at around eighty percent in the region, Wunan aims to reach an equally ambitious goal of twenty percent.

"A good hard number is always something to focus on in achieving goals."

The Shire is yet to outline whether they will seek additional government assistance to pay for the scheme.